Video: A-1 – “Unpredictable (The Repo Man)”

Premiered by The FADER, the Bay Area Rapper Releases First Visual Since His Thurlian Mixtape, Remixing A Mr. Carmack Production

04.06.2015

Critical Praise For A-1:

“A-1′s style has a similar kind of funny, free-for-all feel as post-Mac Dre rappers like [Roach] Gigz, but has a sly rap style that is distinctly his own.” – The FADER

“Easily one of the illest emcees I’ve heard over the last few years.” – OkayPlayer

“…something that sounds so vital and absolutely hyphy that it pretty much had to come from the Bay.” –Noisey

The Video:

In his reinterpretation of the sci-fi cult classic Repo Man, San Francisco rapper A-1 soars above his city in the new visual for “Unpredictable (The Repo Man),” which debuted via The FADER. The song, off his Thurlian mixtape, has A-1 adding his rhymes to a beat by Mr. Carmack, who said, “I shot him the track and a year later he sent me a finished version and it was tight, I loved it.”

The visual is “based on the last scene of Repo Man, where the main character hops into an alien car and rides off into the abyss of the city night,” A-1 explained, adding, “I had never even seen the movie until a couple of days before we shot the video.” With his signature quirky rhymes like “The whole Bay know I’m popping like I opened up a Pringles can,” A-1 presents a laid-back, West Coast vibe to the meditative tune. “A-1 has that kind of screwed-up, comic-book flow that made Kendrick Lamar a beloved, cult figure in rap even before Good Kid M.A.A.D City came out,” Stereogum stated on the track. “He’s splitting the difference between an Italian mother and a Senegalese father, so the fascinating way he morphs rhythms is solely his own.”

A-1’s Thurlian mixtape released early last month with the MC remixing beats by genre-bending producers Sango, Mr. Carmack, Ryan Hemsworth, Stwo, and BEAR//FACE, while working original cuts by Mikos Da Gawd and Woostar. “Thurlian is a compilation of songs I’ve been recording over the past two years that all symbolize different aspects of what it means to be ‘Thurl,’ which is to Think (for oneself), Hustle (for one another), Understand (each other), and Really Live (one’s life to the fullest),” A-1 explains. “This project was inspired by my experiences while traveling, seeing different parts of the world and realizing that human suffering is a constant struggle everywhere. As someone with a voice and a following, I feel I have the power to influence those who are willing to listen, and therefore I think I’m somewhat obligated to use that voice for good.”

Watch “Unpredictable (The Repo Man)”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BefdPIQlnXY

Check out The FADER premiere: http://www.thefader.com/2015/04/03/the-bays-a-1-premieres-unpredictable-the-repo-man-video

Listen to Thurlian: https://soundcloud.com/adamraps/sets/thurlian

Check out A-1’s newly launched website: http://www.a-1music.com/

Please contact Michelle or Rory if interested in talking with A-1.

A-1 Background:

Born Adam Traore, a first generation US citizen to West African and Italian parents, A-1‘s music is constructed around vivid stories of growing up in The City while searching for happiness and self awareness. After the release of After School Special, a mixtape based on 90s television shows, he gained a fan base through internet buzz while still living on his friend’s couch. Soon after, he released his follow-up The Book Of Adam which was received so well, he quit his day job the day after the listening party. With 2012’s The Thurl Tape, A-1 has been acknowledged by publications such as the FADER and Complex. Equipped with a heart filled with passion, an insatiable desire for creativity, discerning eyes and ears for quality, and a plan to spread his music to as many people as possible, A-1 is poised to be the first name in music lover’s iPods in the very near future. A-1’s Thurlian mixtape released March 5, 2015.